Re: messenger pop-up ads fix that works!

From: Bruce Chambers (bchambers_at_nospam.cableone.net)
Date: 07/06/03 

Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 10:36:05 -0600

Greetings --

    Disabling the messenger service is a "head in the sand" approach
to computer security.

    The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups; they're
actually providing a useful service by acting as a security alert. The
true problem is the unsecured computer, and you're only
advice, however well-intended, was to turn off the warnings. How is
this helpful?

    Equivalent Scenario 1: Somewhere in a house, a small fire starts,
and sets off the smoke alarm. The home-owner, not immediately seeing
any fire/smoke, complains about the noise of the smoke detector, so
you tell him to remove the smoke detector's battery and go back to
sleep, or whatever else he was doing.

    Equivalent Scenario 2: You over-exert your shoulder at work or
play, causing bursitis. After weeks of annoying and sometimes
excruciating pain whenever you try to reach over your head, you go to
a doctor and say, while demonstrating the motion, "Doc, it hurts when
I do this." The doctor, being as helpful as you are, replies, "Well,
don't do that."

    The only true way to secure the PC is to *properly* configure the
firewall; just installing one and letting it's default settings handle
things is no good. Unfortunately, this does require one to learn a
little bit more about using a computer than used to be necessary.

Bruce Chambers

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----
You can have peace.  Or you can have freedom.  Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
"John Pearce" <freedomtrucker@msn.com> wrote in message
news:003c01c343d5$9d03c1b0$a301280a@phx.gbl...
> If your using windows XP,NT and 2000 and getting pop-up
> ads here's
> the fix to get rid of them from sending you Mafia  type
> ads
> to pay them to stop sending them!
>
> I tried the firewall fix but that didn't stop them so I
> disabled the Messenger
> be sure to read the caution if you do!
>

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